Addiction and Recovery in College

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The word “addiction” usually carries a negative connotation to it. People think of addicts as typically being unemployed or violent or even uneducated. Many would be surprised then to discover that, according to AddicitonCenter.com, “Those who are enrolled in a full time college program are twice more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol than those who don’t attend college.”
            This can be attributed to the many masks that addiction can wear and a variety of social-environmental factors that include stress from school, peer pressure, and experimentation with different substances. It’s not just alcohol addiction, there is also addiction to drugs such as marijuana, Adderall, and even diet pills.  By understanding addiction and creating an open discussion about recovery, we can begin to heal ourselves and destigmatize the concept.
            To this end, CSULB has established a collegiate recovery community known as Beach Recovery. Their main goal is to educate people about addiction in order to help remove the stigma and teach our community the facts about this disease. They believe strongly that it is a responsibility of the campus to provide a nurturing, affirming environment in which students can find peer support and recovery services while in school.
Going along with this idea, CSULB offers many great on-campus resources aimed at assisting you on your journey to self-healing.
  • “New Beginnings” is a support group that offers open recovery for all addictions and meets every Monday from 5:30- 6:30 pm at the Soroptimist House on campus.
  •  We also have AA meetings which offer a 12-step program to deal with all types of addiction. They meet every Wednesday from 12 pm- 1 pm at Student Health Services room 268.


In an effort to foster an environment where addiction can be openly discussed and the stigma behind it removed, Student Health Services is here to help. You are not alone and you do not have to fight this on your own.

By Adam Vargas

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